Plastic fastener dispensing hand tool having a novel anvil design to reduce needle sticks

ABSTRACT

An improved hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners having a novel anvil design and a needle. The hand tool has a gun shaped casing with a barrel portion and a handle portion. The casing has a needle assembly opening at the front of the barrel portion and a trigger slot at the front of the handle portion. The hand tool further has a hollow needle disposed on one end of a needle assembly. The hand tool further has a trigger that is pivotally mounted within the casing that extends out from the trigger slot. The hand tool further has an anvil.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No.14/450,688 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,708,091, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Nos. 61/303,352 filed Feb. 11, 2010, 61/373,517filed Aug. 13, 2010, and 61/406,602 filed Oct. 26, 2010, all of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners and a method of using thesame. More particularly, the invention relates to a hand tool fordispensing plastic fasteners for the purpose of attaching hangtags tovarious articles. The hand tool has a novel anvil design that reducesinadvertent user needle sticks during operation of the hand tool.Furthermore, the hand tool utilizes a needle having a novel needlecasing that further reduces inadvertent user needle sticks during thereplacement of the hand tool needle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hand tool for dispensing plasticfasteners, and more particularly to a novel plastic fastener dispensinghand tool that reduces inadvertent user needle sticks by employing anovel anvil design and a novel needle casing for needles utilized by thehand tool.

Plastic fasteners of the type comprising an elongated flexible filamenthaving a first enlargement at one end of the flexible filament and asecond enlargement at the opposite end are well-known in the art andwidely used in commerce. One common application for this type of plasticfastener is to attach labels, price tags or other items to articles.Traditionally, a plastic fastener dispensing hand tool (commonlyreferred to as a “tagging gun”) having an exposed stationary needle hasbeen used to dispense plastic fasteners to attach labels, price tags, orother items to an article. Tagging guns having an exposed stationaryneedle are known, examples of such tools including those disclosed inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,639,006, 5,683,025, and 5,772,073.

The design of these known tagging guns results in several operatingissues. First, the basic design of exposed needle tagging guns lends tounnecessary risks that may result in operator injury. The exposed needleof the tagging gun presents the problem of inadvertently causing injuryto a worker and also accidental needle breakage, as the pointed end ofthe needle is always exposed. While some sort of needle protectiondevice is often provided to cover the exposed stationary needle when notin use, the needle protection device often becomes lost once the tagginggun is introduced into the workplace, and does nothing to protectagainst needle breakage.

Furthermore, the operation of known exposed needle tagging guns leads toa high risk of operator injury. The design of the above-identifiedtagging guns requires an operator to, first, insert the exposedstationary needle through a label or price tag, then, pierce the articlethe operator wishes to attach the label or price tag to with the exposedstationary needle, and finally, actuate the tagging gun to dispense aplastic fastener to attach the label or price tag to the article. Duringthis process, the operator is exposed to two operations that may resultin operator injury. First, the operator may inadvertently stick himselfor herself with the needle as the operator attempts to insert the needlethrough the label or price tag. Second, the operator may inadvertentlystick himself or herself with the needle as the operator pierces thearticle with the needle.

An additional operating issue associated with the design of the knowntagging guns is that the above described process of attaching a label orprice tag to an article requires a high level of dexterity. The operatoris required to simultaneously manipulate both the label or price tag andthe article to which the label or price tag is being attached whilesimultaneously manipulating and actuating the tagging gun. Thelikelihood of an operator sticking himself or herself with the exposedneedle is greatly increased as an operator will take less care to avoidsticking himself or herself with the exposed needle when the operator isdistracted and preoccupied with coordinating the many tasks necessary tooperate the tagging gun.

Finally, the procedure for replacing the needle of known tagging gundesigns further increases the possibility of operator injury. To replacethe needle of known tagging guns, the operator is required to directlygrasp the needle. Because the needle of the tagging gun is small,grasping the needle requires a high level of dexterity. An operator mayfind difficulty in grasping the needle, and there exists a highprobability that an operator may accidentally stick himself or herselfwith the needle as the operator struggles to remove the needle from thetagging gun.

Therefore, what is needed is an improved tagging gun that reduces therisk of operator injury during the use of the tagging gun. Specifically,it is desired to provide a tagging gun that reduces that chance ofoperator injury during the attachment of labels or price tags toarticles, and also during the replacement of the tagging gun needle.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

By providing an improved hand tool for dispensing plastic fastenershaving a novel anvil design that is intended to reduce inadvertent userneedle sticks during operation of the hand tool, and a needle having anovel casing that further reduces inadvertent user needle sticks duringthe replacement of the hand tool needle, the present invention overcomesabove-described problems associated with current exposed stationaryneedle tagging gun designs.

The present invention relates to a hand tool for dispensing plasticfasteners. The hand tool has a gun shaped casing with a barrel portionand a handle portion. The casing has a needle assembly opening at thefront of the barrel portion and a trigger slot at the front of thehandle portion. The hand tool further has a hollow needle disposed onone end of a needle assembly. The needle assembly is slidably movableback and forth between a retracted position disposed substantiallywithin the casing and an extend position disposed substantially out ofthe casing through the needle assembly opening. The hand tool furtherhas a trigger that is pivotally mounted within the casing that extendsout from the trigger slot. The trigger is capable of moving the needleassembly between the retracted and extended positions. The hand toolfurther has an anvil. The anvil has a finger guide portion, a mainportion, and a tag slot. The tag slot separates the finger guide portionfrom the main portion.

The present invention also relates to a method of using a hand tool todispense plastic fasteners to attach a hangtag to an article ofclothing. The method includes the steps of, first, providing a hand toolhaving a gun shaped casing having a barrel portion and a handle portion.The casing has a needle assembly opening at the front of the barrelportion. The hand tool further has a hollow needle, a needle assembly, atrigger and an anvil. The anvil has a finger guide portion, a mainportion, and a tag slot that separates the finger guide portion from themain portion. Next, the method includes the step of inserting a hangtaginto the tag slot and placing the anvil against an article. Then, thetrigger is depressed to advance the needle assembly forward until thehollow needle pierces the hangtag and the article. The trigger is thenfurther depressed to dispense a plastic fastener through the hollowneedle to attach the hangtag to the article. The method concludes byreleasing the trigger to retract the needle assembly.

The present invention also relates to a method of replacing a wornneedle in a hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners. The methodincludes the steps of, first, providing a hand tool having a gun shapedcasing having a barrel portion and a handle portion. The casing has aneedle assembly opening at the front of the barrel portion. The handtool further has a hollow needle, a needle assembly, a trigger and ananvil. The anvil has a finger guide portion a main portion and a tagslot that separates the finger guide portion from the main portion. Themethod then includes the step of providing a replacement needle having aprotective needle casing. The replacement needle has a tip, a stem, anda base portion. The needle casing has a first end, a second end, and atubular body. The tip and the stem of the replacement needle areinserted into the first end of the casing. Next, the method includes thestep of inserting the second end of the needle casing into the fingerguide portion of the anvil. Then, the trigger is depressed to advancethe needle assembly forward until the tip and stem of the hollow needleare inserted into the second end of the needle casing. Next the methodincludes the step of removing the needle casing from the finger guideportion of the anvil and releasing the trigger. Then, the first end ofthe needle casing is inserted into the finger guide portion of theanvil. Next, the trigger is depressed to advance the needle assemblyforward until the replacement needle is disposed with the needleassembly. The method concludes by removing the needle casing from thefinger guide portion and releasing the trigger.

The present invention also relates to a method of adjusting an anvil ofa hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners. The method includes thesteps of, first, providing a hand tool having a gun shaped casing havinga barrel portion and a handle portion. The casing has a needle assemblyopening at the front of the barrel portion. The hand tool further has ahollow needle, a needle assembly, a trigger and an anvil. The anvil hasa finger guide portion a main portion and a tag slot that separates thefinger guide portion from the main portion. The anvil further has a ballplunger that protrudes into the tag slot. Next, the method involves thestep of adjusting the ball plunger so that the ball plunger protrudesinto the tag slot only slightly. The method concludes with the step ofinserting a hangtag into the tag slot and moving the hangtag in the tagslot while adjusting the ball plunger to cause the ball plunger toprotrude further into the tag slot until a resistance is felt on thehangtag.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription. It is to be understood, however, that the detaileddescription of the various embodiments and specific examples, whileindicating preferred and other embodiments of the present invention, aregiven by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes andmodifications within the scope of the present invention may be madewithout departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includesall such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These, as well as other objects and advantages of this invention, willbe more completely understood and appreciated by referring to thefollowing more detailed description of the presently preferred exemplaryembodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the left side of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front left side of the presentinvention with the needle assembly retracted into the casing;

FIG. 2A is an illustration of an alternate configuration for a bluntnose for the needle guard;

FIG. 3 is a perspective cutaway view of the front left side of thepresent invention with the needle assembly retracted into the casing;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the left side of the presentinvention showing the anvil in detail;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the front left side of thepresent invention showing the anvil in detail;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front left side of the presentinvention with a hangtag being secured in the anvil of the hand tool andthe needle assembly retracted into the casing;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the front left side of the presentinvention with a hangtag being secured in the anvil of the hand tool andthe needle assembly extended from the casing;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front left side of a replacementneedle and a needle casing used with the hand tool of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the front left side of thepresent invention showing the process of using the needle casing toremove a worn needle from the hand tool; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the front left side of a ballplunger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The apparatuses and methods disclosed in this document are described indetail by way of examples and with reference to the figures. Unlessotherwise specified, like numbers in the figures indicate references tothe same, similar, or corresponding elements throughout the figures. Itwill be appreciated that modifications to disclosed and describedexamples, arrangements, configurations, components, elements,apparatuses, methods, materials, etc. can be made and may be desired fora specific application. In this disclosure, any identification ofspecific shapes, materials, techniques, arrangements, etc. are eitherrelated to a specific example presented or are merely a generaldescription of such a shape, material, technique, arrangement, etc.Identifications of specific details or examples are not intended to be,and should not be, construed as mandatory or limiting unlessspecifically designated as such.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 a plastic fastener dispensing handtool 1 is shown. It should be noted that portions of the hand tool 1 notpertinent to the present invention are neither shown nor described indetail herein. The hand tool 1 has a gun shaped casing 10. The gunshaped casing 10 has a barrel portion 15 and a handle portion 20. Thecasing 10 is comprised of a right half 30 and a left half 35. The halves30, 35 jointly define a needle assembly opening 16 located near thefront of the barrel portion 15 and a trigger slot 21 located at thefront of the handle portion 20. A plurality of four assembly posts 500,501, 502, 503 are formed into the right half 30. The first assembly post500 is located near the front of the barrel portion 15, the secondassembly post 501 is located near the front of the needle assemblyopening 16, the third assembly post 502 is located near the back of thebarrel portion 15, and the fourth assembly post 503 is located near thebottom of the handle portion 20. A plurality of four assembly holes 505,506, 507, 508 are formed on the left half 35. The position of the fourassembly holes 505, 506, 507, 508 correspond with the position of thefour assembly posts 500, 501, 502, 503 when the left half 35 and theright half 30 of the casing 10 are brought together. The left half 35and the right half 30 of the casing 10 are secured together by aplurality of four assembly screws 515, 516, 517, 518 that are driventhrough the assembly holes 505, 506, 507, 508 and into the assemblyposts 500, 501, 502, 503.

A trigger 40 is pivotally attached to the casing 10 and extends thoughthe trigger slot 21. A first trigger arm 41 extends from the bottom ofthe trigger 40. One end of the first trigger arm 41 is pivotallyconnected to the bottom of the trigger 40, while the other end of thefirst trigger arm 41 is pivotally anchored in the middle of the handleportion 20 at an anchor point 23. A second trigger arm 42 connects thefirst trigger arm 41 to a needle assembly arm 43. One end of the secondtrigger arm 42 is pivotally anchored to the first anchor point 23, whilethe other end of the second trigger arm 42 is pivotally connected to theneedle assembly arm 43. The trigger 40 also may include a ring 44 (seeFIG. 2) which can assist the user when pulling the needle back throughthe layers of material.

FIG. 2A provides an alternate configuration for the needle guard 59which is a blunt or domed shaped nose. The domed nose aids in moving theuser's fingers away from the needle guard due to the rounded shape ofthe guard 59 of the tool 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the hand tool 1 has an anvil 45mounted at the front of the barrel portion 15. The anvil 45 has a fingerguide portion 50 and a main portion 55. A finger guide 51 is provided onthe finger guide portion 50 of the anvil 45. The finger guide 51 has atip 91 and a base 92. The finger guide portion 50 further has a rearwall 81, a circular passage 93, and a needle sight channel 94. Thecircular passage 93 extends through the finger guide portion 50 from thetip 91 of the finger guide 51 to the rear wall 81 of the finger guideportion 50. The needle sight channel 94 provides visual access to thecircular passage 93, and is located along the left side of the fingerguide portion 50.

A tag slot 52 separates the finger guide portion 50 from the mainportion 55. The tag slot 52 extends substantially perpendicular to thelength of the anvil 45, and extends nearly the entire width of the anvil45. The anvil 45 is further provided with a ball plunger housing 58located at the front of the main portion 55. The ball plunger housing 58contains a threaded ball plunger 53 (shown in detail in FIG. 10). Theball plunger 53 has a ball end 57 and a slotted end 56. The ball plunger53 is threaded into the ball plunger housing 58 with the ball end 57 ofthe ball plunger 53 protruding into the tag slot 52, and the slotted end56 facing towards the rear of the anvil 45. A limiter wall 410 extendsupwardly from the ball plunger housing 58, while a first anvil tab 221extends downwardly from the ball plunger housing 58. The first anvil tab221 is substantially square shaped and has a U-shaped channel 222. Asecond anvil tab 225 is provided toward the rear of the main portion 55.The second anvil tab 225 consists of a U-shaped channel 226 formedintegrally into the right rear wall of the main portion 55.

The first anvil tab 221 and the second anvil tab 225 cooperate with thefirst assembly post 500 and the second assembly post 501 to secure theanvil 45 to the front of the barrel portion 15. The U-shaped channel 222of the first anvil tab 221 engages the first assembly post 500, whilethe U-shaped channel 226 of the second anvil tab 225 engages the secondassembly post 501. As the assembly screws 505, 506, 507, 508 are driventhrough the assembly holes and into the assembly posts 500, 501, 502,503 to secure the right half 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10together, the right half 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10 beginto exert force onto the first and second anvil tabs 221, 225 that extendbetween the right half 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10. Oncethe assembly screws 505, 506, 507, 508 are fully tightened and the righthalf 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10 are tightly securedtogether, the force created by the right half 30 and the left half 35 ofthe casing 10 on the first and second anvil tabs 221, 225 furtherassists the first and second anvil tab U-shaped channels 222, 226 insecuring the anvil 45 to the front of the barrel portion 15 of the handtool 1.

The hand tool 1 further has a hollow needle 75. The needle 75 has a tip80, a stem portion 85, and a base portion 90. The base portion 90 ismounted inside a needle slide 95. A limiter 220 extends from the topfront edge of the needle slide 95. The base portion 90 is secured to theneedle slide 95 by a needle lock 100. The needle lock 100 has a threadedportion 101 (not shown) and a slotted end 102. The threaded portion 101is driven into a needle lock opening 103. The needle lock opening 103intersects a portion of the base portion 90 of the needle 75 when theneedle 75 is mounted inside the needle slide 95. The base portion has aneedle lock channel 104 (not shown) that lines up with the needle lockopening 103 when the needle 75 is mounted inside the needle slide 95.When the needle lock 100 is completely driven into the needle lockopening 103, the needle lock 100 is received by the needle lock channel104, thereby locking the hollow needle 75 to the needle slide 95.

A needle slide cover 110 is attached to the needle slide 95. The needleassembly arm 43 extends downwardly from the bottom of the needle slidecover 110. Together, the needle slide 95 and the needle slide cover 110form a needle assembly 105. When the needle slide 95 and the needleslide cover 110 are secured to one another to form the needle assembly105, the needle slide cover 110 constitutes a left needle assembly 108,and the needle slide 95 constitutes a right needle assembly 109. A firstridge 106 extends lengthwise along the bottom edge of the left needleassembly 108, and a second ridge 107 extends lengthwise along the bottomedge of the right needle assembly 109. A first channel 115 (not shown)is formed on the interior of the barrel portion 15 of the left half 35.A second channel 120 is formed on the interior of the barrel portion 15of the right half 30. The first and second channels 115, 120 extendsubstantially parallel from the front to the rear of the barrel portion15. The first and second channels 115, 120 cooperate with the first andsecond ridges 106, 107 to slidably secure the needle assembly 105 withinthe barrel portion 15 and limit the needle assembly 105 to movementlengthwise within the barrel portion 15.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a needle casing 300 is shown holding areplacement needle 305. The needle casing 300 has a substantiallycylindrical shaped body 310. The needle casing 300 has a first opening315 at a first end 316 of the body 310, and a second opening 320 at asecond end 321 of the body 310. The cylindrical shaped body 310 has adiameter slightly larger than that of the circular passage 93 of theanvil 45. The openings 315, 320 have a diameter slightly smaller thanthat of the replacement needle 305. Therefore, an interference fit iscreated between the first opening 315 and the replacement needle 305when the replacement needle 305 is inserted into the first opening 315.This interference fit causes the replacement needle 305 to be retainedwithin the first opening 315.

A limiting ridge 325 is provided on the middle of the protective casing300. The limiting ridge 325 facilitates the replacement of the hand tool1 needle 75 while also assisting in the manipulation of the needlecasing 300 by an operator of the hand tool 1. The replacement needle 305has a tip 340 (not shown) a stem portion 350 and a base 360. The baseportion 360 has a needle lock channel 380.

With reference directed to FIGS. 3, 5, 6, and 7, it will now beexplained how the hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners 1 is usedto attach a hangtag to an article. It should be noted that operations ofthe hand tool 1 not pertinent to the present invention are not describedin detail herein.

To begin the operation of attaching a hangtag to an article, theoperator first secures a hangtag 400 within the anvil 45 of the handtool 1. In FIG. 6, the hand tool 1 is shown with a hangtag 400 securedto the anvil 45, and the needle assembly 105 retracted into the barrelportion 15 of the housing 10. The hangtag 400 is secured within the tagslot 52 of the anvil 45 between the finger guide portion 50 and the mainportion 55. It should be noted that the construction of the anvil 45allows the hangtag 400 to be secured within the anvil 45 without anyadditional assistance from the operator. Therefore, the operator may letgo of the hangtag 400 once the operator has placed the hangtag 400 intothe tag slot 52, and the hangtag 400 will remain fixated between thefinger guide portion 50 and the main portion 55 of the anvil 45.

The hangtag 400 is fixated between the finger guide portion 50 and themain portion 55 of the anvil 45 by the ball plunger 53. As describedabove, the ball plunger 53 is threaded into the ball plunger housing 58with the ball end protruding into the tag slot 52, and the slotted end56 facing toward the rear portion of the anvil 45. The ball end 57exerts just enough force on the hangtag 400 to lightly pin the hangtag400 against the rear wall 81 of the finger guide portion 50. It iscontemplated that other means may be used to lightly pin the hangtag 400against the rear wall 81 of the finger guide portion 50. For example, itis contemplated that a spring-loaded ball plunger may be employed, orthat the ball end 57 of the ball plunger 53 may be replaced with aroller wheel.

It should be noted that the ball plunger 53 is adjustable to accommodatehangtags having different thicknesses. To adjust the ball plunger 53,the operator begins by inserting a tool into the slotted end 56 of theball plunger 53. With the tool inserted, the operator may now use thetool to rotate the ball plunger 53 until the desired adjustment level isachieved. Rotating the ball plunger 53 clockwise causes the ball plunger53 to be driven into the ball plunger housing 58 thereby causing theball end 57 to protrude further into the tag slot 52 to accommodatethinner hangtags, while rotating the ball plunger 53 counter clockwisecauses the ball plunger 53 to be driven out of the ball plunger housing58 thereby causing the ball end 57 to protrude less into the tag slot 52to accommodate thicker hangtags.

The operator must take care to properly adjust the ball plunger 53 toensure smooth operation of the hand tool 1. If the operator adjusts theball plunger 53 so that the ball end 57 protrudes to far into the tagslot 52, the operator will not be able to slide the hangtag between theball end 57 and the rear wall 81 of the finger guide portion 50, or theoperator will end up bending the hangtag as he or she attempts to forcethe hangtag between the ball end 57 and the rear wall 81 of the fingerguide portion 50. Alternatively, if the operator adjusts the ballplunger so that the ball end 57 does not protrude far enough into thetag slot 52, the operator will not be able to get the hangtag to remainfixated between the finger guide portion 50 and the main portion 55 ofthe anvil 45.

To quickly and accurately adjust the ball plunger 53, the operatorbegins by first backing the ball plunger 53 out of the ball plungerhousing 58 until the ball end 57 is completely retracted from the tagslot 52. Next, the operator places a single hangtag into the tag slot52. The operator will then begin to move the hangtag up and down withinthe tag slot 52 while ensuring that part of the hangtag remains in frontof the ball end 57 of the ball plunger 53. While moving the hangtag upand down within the tag slot 52, the operator will begin to slowly turnthe ball plunger 53 clockwise to advance the ball plunger 53 into theball plunger housing 58, thereby increasing the amount by which the ballend 57 protrudes into the tag slot 52. The operator will continue tomove the hangtag up and down while rotating the ball plunger 53clockwise until the operator feels a slight resistance in the movementof the hangtag. Once this slight resistance is felt, the operator willthen rotate the ball plunger 53 an additional one eighth of a turnclockwise to complete the adjustment. Using this procedure, the operatorwill easily be able to adjust the hand tool 1 so that the hangtag iseasily slid into the tag slot 52 while still ensuring that the hangtagis retained in the tag slot 52. The operator may then continue using thehand tool 1 without further adjustment as long as hangtags having thesame thickness as the one being used to make the initial adjustments areused. However, if the operator wishes to use hangtags having a differentthickness, the above adjustment process will have to be repeated toensure that the hand tool 1 will continue to function properly.

With the hangtag 400 now secured in the tag slot 52 between the ball end57 of the ball plunger 53 and the rear wall 81 of the finger guideportion 50, the operator can then place the tip 91 of the finger guide51 against the article the operator wishes to attach the hangtag 400 to.For the purposes of this disclosure, it will be assumed that the hangtag400 is being attached to a shirt. The operator must ensure that theshirt is tautly pulled over the tip 91 of the finger guide 51 to ensurethat the tip 80 of the hollow needle 75 cleanly pierces the shirt. Ifthe shirt is not tautly pulled over the tip 91 of the finger guide 51,the tip 80 of the hollow needle 75 may fail to pierce the shirt or mayeven cause the shirt to rip or tear.

It should be noted that the design of the finger guide 51 assists theoperator in avoiding injury during period in which the operator isrequired to hold the shirt tautly against the tip 91 of the finger guide51. When the operator initially places the tip 91 of the finger guide 51against the shirt, the shirt will only be loosely draped over the tip 91of the finger guide 51, and not taut as is desired. To achieve thedesired tautness, the operator will first feel for the tip 91 of thefinger guide 51 through the fabric of the shirt. Once the operator haslocated the finger guide 51, he or she will then push the fabric of theshirt against the finger guide 51 to cause the fabric of the shirt to bepulled taut against the tip 91. The shape of the finger guide 51 willcause the fingers of the operator to separate and move away from the tip91 of the finger guide 51 and towards the base 92. Due to the shape ofthe finger guide 51, the fingers of the operator will naturally bebiased away from the tip 91 and toward the base 92 whenever the handtool 1 is used. This is highly desirable, as the tip 80 of the needle 75exits from the tip 91 of the finger guide 51 when the hand tool 1actuated. Because the design of the finger guide 51 directs the fingersof the operator away from the tip 91 of the finger guide 51 and towardsthe base 92, the operator of the hand tool 1 is less likely to causeinjury to himself or herself once the hand tool 1 is actuated becausethe fingers of the operator will be far away from the path of the needle75.

It should be noted that the finger guide 51 may have several differentdesign configurations. For example, the finger guide 51 is shown havinga dome shape in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and a cone shape in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 9.The only design requirement of the finger guide 51 is that the shape ofthe finger guide 51 must direct the fingers of the operator away fromthe tip 91 of the finger guide 51 and towards the base 92 whenever anoperator places his or her fingers against the finger guide 51. Becausethe anvil 45 is removable from the hand tool 1, the operator may selectthe shape of the finger guide 51 depending on his or her personalpreference, or depending on the application that the hand tool 1 isbeing used for.

To exchange the anvil 45, the operator first loosens, but does notremove, two of the four assembly screws 515, 516, 517 518. This allowsthe left half 35 and the right half 30 of the casing 10 to slightly bepulled apart from one another. As noted above, the right half 30 and theleft half 35 of the casing 10 exert a force on the first and secondanvil tabs 221, 225 that extend between the right half 30 and the left35 of the casing 10 to assist in securing the anvil 45 to the front ofthe barrel portion. Loosening the assembly screws 515, 516, 517, 518removes this force and allows the anvil 45 to be removed from the handtool 1. With the assembly screws loosened 506, 507, 508, 509, theoperator may now remove the anvil 45 from the hand tool 1. To installthe new anvil 45, the operator must first align the first and secondanvil tabs 221, 225 with the first and second assembly posts 500, 501.The operator then lowers the anvil 45 into the front of the barrelportion 15 so that the U-shaped channel 222 of the first anvil tab 221engages the first assembly post 500, while the U-shaped channel 226 ofthe second tab 225 engages the second assembly post 501. The operatorcompletes the anvil exchange process by tightening the assembly screws516, 517, 518, 519, thereby firmly securing the anvil 45 to the handtool 1 while also securing the right half 30 and the left half 35 of thecasing 10 back together.

With the hangtag now secured in the tag slot 52 between the ball end 57of the ball plunger 53 and the rear wall 81 of the finger guide portion50, and the fabric of the shirt pulled tautly against the tip 91 of thefinger guide 51, the operator next depresses the trigger 40 to actuatethe hand tool 1, thereby causing the trigger 40 to retract into thetrigger slot 21. The retraction of the trigger 40 into the trigger slot21 causes the first trigger arm 41 to rotate clockwise about the anchor23, thereby causing the second trigger arm 42 to also rotate clockwiseabout the anchor 23. The rotation of the second trigger arm 42 causesthe needle assembly arm 43 to pivot away from the back of the handleportion 20 and toward the front of the barrel portion 15. Because theneedle assembly arm 43 is connected to the needle assembly 105, thismovement of the needle assembly arm 43 causes the needle assembly 105 tomove toward the front of the barrel portion 15. The needle assembly 105continues to move forward until the limiter 220 on the needle slide 95makes contact with the limiter wall 410 of the anvil 45, therebypreventing the needle assembly 105 from further advancing to the frontof the barrel portion 15. As the needle assembly 95 is advanced to thefront of the barrel portion 15, the hollow needle 75 mounted to theneedle assembly 105 is likewise advanced. As the hollow needle 75 isadvanced, the tip 80 pierces the hangtag secured in the tag slot 52,travels through the circular passage 93 of the finger guide portion 50,and passes beyond the tip 91 of the finger guide 51 to pierce the fabricof the shirt. Once the limiter 220 makes contact with the limiter wall410, the tip 80 and part of the stem portion 85 of the needle 75 extendbeyond the tip 91 of the finger guide 51. Further depression of thetrigger 40 by the operator causes a plastic fastener to be dispensedthrough the sharpened tip 80 of the hollow needle 75, thereby securingthe hangtag 400 to the shirt.

Once the plastic fastener is dispensed from the hand tool 1, theoperator can release the trigger 40. The needle assembly 95 is under arearward bias that causes the needle assembly 95 to retreat toward theback of the barrel portion 15 once the trigger is released 21. Themovement of the needle assembly 95 to the rear of the barrel portion 15will also cause the trigger 40 to extend from the trigger slot 21. Asthe needle assembly 95 returns to the back of the barrel portion 15, theneedle 75 likewise is retracted from the fabric of the shirt, the fingerguide portion 50, the hangtag 400, and the main portion of the anvil 55.With the needle 75 and needle assembly 95 retracted, the operator canthen remove the hangtag 400 that is now attached to the shirt from thetag slot 52 and place a new hangtag into the tag slot 52 and repeat theabove described process on another shirt to continue attaching hangtags.

Now directing attention towards FIGS. 8 and 9, it will now be explainedhow the needle casing 300 is used to replace a worn needle with a newneedle. FIG. 8 depicts how the replacement needle 305 for the hand tool1 is shipped. The replacement needle 305 is shipped with the tip 340 andpart of the stem portion 350 of the needle 305 firmly inserted into thefirst opening 315 of the needle casing 300. Shipping the replacementneedle 305 with the casing 300 already installed serves two purposes.First, it protects any person who comes in contact with the replacementneedle 305 during the shipment or storage of the replacement needle 305from accidental needle sticks. Second, it protects the tip 340 of thereplacement needle 305 from becoming dulled and further protects thestem 350 of the needle 305 from bending or breaking.

To begin the replacement of a worn needle, the operator first insertsthe second end 321 of the needle casing 300 into the tip 91 of thefinger guide 51 and into the circular passage 93. The operator thenpushes the needle casing 300 into the finger guide 51 toward the rearwall 81 of the finger guide portion 50 until the limiting ridge 325makes contact with the tip 91 of the finger guide 51, thus preventingthe needle casing 300 from further being inserted into the circularpassage 93. As described above, the diameter of the cylindrical shapedbody 310 of the needle casing 300 is slightly larger than that of thecircular passage 93 of the finger guide portion 50. Therefore, once theneedle casing 300 has been inserted and pushed into the tip 91 of thefinger guide 51, the operator may release the needle casing 300 and theneedle casing 300 will remain disposed within the anvil 45 as a resultof the interference fit created between the body 300 of the needlecasing 300 and the circular passage 93 of the finger guide portion 50.

Next, to continue with the replacement of the worn needle, the operatorremoves the needle lock 100 from the needle lock opening 103 byinserting a tool into the slotted end 102 of the needle lock 100 androtating the needle lock 100 counterclockwise. Once the needle lock 100has been removed from the needle lock opening 103, the base portion 90is no longer secured within the needle slide 95, and thus the hollowneedle 75 is free to be removed from the hand tool 1. With the limitingridge 325 in contact with the tip 91 of the finger guide 51, the tip 80of the hollow needle 75 is partially inserted into the second opening320 of the needle casing 300. However, because the stem portion 85 ofthe needle 75 is not yet inserted into the second opening 320, aninterference fit between the needle 75 and the needle casing 300 has notyet been established, and thus the needle casing 300 cannot yet be usedto remove the needle 75 from the hand tool 1.

To create the necessary interference fit, the operator must first graspthe needle casing 300 and push the needle casing 300 toward the rearwall 81 of the finger guide portion 50 to ensure that the limiting ridge325 remains in firm contact with the tip 91 of the finger guide 51.Although, as described above, the needle casing 300 is held in place inthe circular passage 93 of the finger guide portion 50 as a result ofthe interference fit between the needle casing 300 and circular passage93, the operator must still provide additional support to the needlecasing 300 during this step of the needle replacement process. With thelimiting ridge 325 pressed firmly against the tip 91 of the finger guide51, the operator can then depress the trigger 40. As explained above,depression of the trigger 40 causes the needle assembly 105 to movetoward the front of the barrel portion 15. This movement of the needleassembly 105 causes the tip 80 of the needle 75 to be forced furtherinto the second opening 320 such that the stem 85 is also forced intothe second opening 320 thereby creating the desired interference fitbetween the stem 85 of the needle 75 and the needle casing 300. With theneedle 75 now securely held in the second opening 320 of the needlecasing 300, the operator can remove the second end 321 of the body 310from the circular passage 93 of the finger guide portion 50 to removethe needle 75 from the hand tool 1.

Next, the operator flips the casing 300 to orient the first end 316 ofthe needle casing 300 toward the opening of the finger guide 51. Similarto the process described above with regard to the second end 321, theoperator inserts the first end 316 of the needle casing 300 into the tip91 of the finger guide 51 and pushes the needle casing 300 toward therear wall 81 of the finger guide portion 50 until the limiting ridge 325makes contact with the tip 91 of the finger guide 51. This positions thebase 360 of the replacement needle 305 directly in front of the needleslide 95. However, with the trigger 40 no longer depressed, the needleslide 95 will be spaced apart from the base 360 of the replacementneedle 305. Therefore, the operator must depress the trigger 40 to causethe needle assembly 105 to move forward to bring the needle slide 95 inmake contact with the base 360 of the replacement needle 305. With thetrigger 40 still depressed and the base 360 of the replacement needle305 resting within the needle slide 95, the operator can place theneedle lock 100 back into the needle lock opening 103 by inserting atool into the slotted end 102 of the needle lock 100 and rotating theneedle lock 100 clockwise. Once the needle lock 100 is securely disposedwithin the needle lock opening 103, the base of the replacement needle305 is secured to the hand tool 1. However, the force of theinterference fit between the stem 350 of the replacement needle 305 andthe first opening 315 of the needle casing 300 is stronger than theforce of the rearward bias of the needle assembly 105. Therefore, theoperator must remove the needle casing 300 from the circular passage 93of the anvil 45 to free the replacement needle 305 from the needlecasing 300. The needle assembly 105 is then free to return to the rearof the barrel portion 15 of the casing 10 once the needle casing 300 hasbeen removed, and the hand tool 1 is ready for further use with thereplacement needle 305 installed

It will thus be seen that a novel plastic fastener dispensing hand toolhas been described. While the invention has been described in connectionwith what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiment, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artthat the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, andthat many modifications and equivalent arrangements may be made thereofwithin the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded thebroadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass allequivalent structures and products.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of transitioning a dual operating modehand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners between a first operatingmode and a second operating mode comprising the steps of: providing ahand tool having a casing with a barrel portion, a handle portion, and achannel a portion, said casing having a needle assembly opening at afront end of the barrel portion, a hollow needle, a needle assembly, atrigger, a locking switch, and an anvil, said anvil having a frontportion and a rear portion; rotating said front portion of said anvilfrom a first operating mode position near the front of said barrelportion to a second operating mode position near said channel portion;depressing a safety button wherein the safety button includes anelongated portion and a safety button face and wherein a first tooth anda second tooth extend from a shelf that projects from the elongatedportion; moving said safety switch to an unlocked position; actuatingsaid trigger to advance said needle assembly from a first operating modeposition at a rear end of said barrel portion to a second operating modeposition at the front end of said barrel portion; and releasing saidsafety switch to lock said needle assembly in said second operating modeposition.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the safety button preventsthe needle assembly from moving from a retracted position.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein the safety switch protrudes through an opening on anexterior of a barrel portion under a first locking switch face.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the elongated portion is received within afirst tunnel.
 5. A method for transitioning a dual operating mode handtool for dispensing plastic fasteners between a first operating mode anda second operating mode comprising the steps of: providing a dualoperating mode hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners having a gunshaped casing with a barrel portion with a front and rear, a handleportion, and a channel portion, said casing having a needle assemblyopening at the front of the barrel portion, a hollow needle, a needleassembly, a trigger, a locking switch, a safety button, and an anvil,said anvil having a front portion and a rear portion; rotating saidfront portion of said anvil from a first operating mode position nearthe front of said barrel portion to a second operating mode positionnear said channel portion; depressing said safety button; moving saidsafety switch to an unlocked position; actuating said trigger to advancesaid needle assembly from a first operating mode position at the rear ofsaid barrel portion to a second operating mode position at the front ofsaid barrel portion; and releasing said safety switch to lock saidneedle assembly in said second operating mode position.
 6. The methodrecited in claim 5, wherein said first operating mode dispenses plasticfasteners to maintain an article of clothing in a folded condition. 7.The method recited in claim 5, wherein said second operating modedispenses plastic fasteners to attach labels, price tags, orcombinations thereof to an article of clothing.
 8. A method fortransitioning a dual operating mode hand tool for dispensing plasticfasteners between a second operating mode and a first operating modecomprising the steps of: providing a dual operating mode hand tool fordispensing plastic fasteners having a gun shaped casing with a barrelportion having a front end and a rear end, a handle portion, and achannel portion, said casing having a needle assembly opening at thefront end of the barrel portion, a hollow needle, a needle assembly, atrigger, a locking switch, and an anvil, said anvil having a frontportion and a rear portion; rotating said front portion of said anvilfrom a second operating mode position near said channel portion to afirst operating mode position near the front end of said barrel portion;moving a safety switch to an unlocked position; and allowing said needleassembly to retract from a second operating mode position at the frontend of said barrel portion to a first operating mode position at therear end of said barrel portion.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein thetrigger is pivotally mounted within said casing and extending out from atrigger slot.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the front portion andthe rear portion both have a free end and a fixed end wherein the fixedend of the rear portion is attached to the front of the barrel portion.